3 On Your Side confronts Craigslist contractor

PHOENIX -- A Valley woman looking to upgrade her condominium said she was ripped off by the contractor she hired.

Lisa Schmid said she found Matt Hathaway on Craigslist and hired him to install flooring throughout her entire two-story condo.

“He emailed me that night with a $2,200 bid to tile the entire property including the shower and the stairs. And then we pay for supplies," said Schmid.

Schmid said she agreed to pay Hathaway half the money up-front and then the other half when the job was complete.

But as soon as she paid half, she said Matt demanded more.

“$1,200 plus another over $700”, said Schmid.

Schmid said after she shelled out $1,900, a small amount of work was started, but then her flooring job was abandoned and never completed.

“We've given him close to $2,000 for doing about a third of the job,” she stated.

Schmid said she tried several times to talk to Hathaway, but said he avoided her.

So, Schmid contacted 3 On Your Side, and we caught up with Hathaway.

"Well there's actually two sides to every story you know what I mean," said Hathaway. "She got more than half her work done as I got her more than half her work done, I asked for a little more money she didn't want to pay me the extra money.”

Hathaway went on to say he did abandon the job but said he had a good reason.

“What it came down to, is her at the end of the job, she flat out wasn't going to pay me,” said Hathaway.

Hathaway is under investigation by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, not only for abandoning Schmid's job, but also for not having a contractor's license.

Schmid said she appreciates 3 On Your Side's involvement and said she has learned a $1,900 lesson.

Never give one cent down, make sure they are licensed. And if supplies need to be bought, you buy them. This is why you hire licensed contractors.

When you do, you have some protection from the state contracting board. As for Matt Hathaway, investigators have submitted their cases to prosecutors and charges are pending.